Wind farms generate opposition - "We're destroying so much scenery for so little power."

Houston Chronicle ^ | February 5, 2007 | Thomas Korosec

[PA-RIVER]

Many old dams could be rebuilt in the north east to be fitted with generators. Last years floods had mayors crossing fingers, praying they would not burst.

A mile from my house on the Delaware, there is an old Hydro power station on the canal, sitting idle for 65 years. It powered a small city 5 miles north. Oil was so cheap, it wasn't worth maintaining it. The State of PA took over the property, and its now a park. A park that cost a bundle to maintain, care of tax payers.

[Lurker]

Great idea. Too bad that imbecile Carter banned Breeder Reactors here in the US.

As if I didn't have enough reasons to rue the day that gap-toothed grinning moron came on the national scene.

L

[PA-RIVER]

And thats Federal Taxpayers .... not just state or local.
We all pay .... to maintane a canal that could be generating revenue. Instead, it drains revenue, at least 1,000,000 or more per year.

[freekitty]

The PC crowd would have been undone a long time ago if it weren't for our stolen tax dollars.

[RangerM]

I agree.

I would so have liked to have seen pictures of some (peacenik) greens and animal-lovers beating the crap out of each other during competing protests.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The PC crowd would have been undone a long time ago if it weren't for our stolen tax dollars.

As well as corporations who allow themselves to be blackmailed by the environmental movement and bad MSM press.

[sergeantdave]

If you want to regulate all of the scenery around you, buy property all the way to the horizon, IMO.

That's the American way.

Too bad this country is getting short on Americans.

[Realism]

ranchers in the Abilene area average about $12,000 per turbine per year,

They also generate revenue for the Towns, Counties, and School Districts located off the beaten path usually in rural areas where its needed most.

[Aquinasfan]

I'm sure the people who are opposed to wind farms, oil, coal and gas are in favor of the only reasonable alternative, nuclear power.

[F.J. Mitchell]

I am no friend of wind generators and in fact prefer to go nuclear, but IMHO people's reaction to these things is just a little hypocritical.

No one ever complained about all those water well windmills all over the great plains, as a matter of fact artist's are forever painting them and tourists admiring them. No one has complained about those oil pumps all over the place. Few complain about the feed lots that stink up large areas of the west. No one complains about the giant steel towers that support the wires that convey electricity all over the country.

We have just gotten to be too prissy for our on good. I guess we deserve to be dependent upon, enriching and begging for oil, from people who despise us.

[Realism]

Don't forget about the cell towers they're quit a work of beauty also.

[F.J. Mitchell]

But golly gee (sob) (sniff) those dams in the rivers are to the poor little fishes, what the Berlin wall was to humans....separating families forever. (sarcasm)

[robertpaulsen]

"Now personally I don't care if folks want to put windmills on their property"

Have you seen the ones in Mendota Hills (along I-39)? 63 of them, stretching for miles. What an eyesore.

If you want to get rid of wind farms, simply remove the massive federal subsidy.

[Lurker]

If you want to get rid of wind farms, simply remove the massive federal subsidy.

I'm with you on that. I'd like to see all federal subsidies removed.

L

[BlazingArizona]

"Windfarms will spoil the Texas scenery! Waaaaaah!
There's scenery in Texas?

[F.J. Mitchell]

Cell towers are a beauty to behold alright. ;-)

Another thing I forgot to mention: In the picture with the rancher and those "wretched" wind generators, there is a row of telephone/light poles behind him running parallel with the wind generators. I'll bet they are practically invisible to him and everyone else in the area or accepted as part of the natural landscape.

[Realism]

There's scenery in Texas?

Clouds, moon, sun?

[RangerM]

Especially the one in Cary, NC along I-40. It's supposed to be disguised as a tree. It's the only one with a trunk about 3-4 feet wide (all the way to the top), and is the tallest "tree" in the area. It looks worse than if they left it alone.

[familyop]

"None of the "examples" you mention come even close to approximating the negative visual impact of wind farms. I've been to the area around Livermore and Altemont Pass in California where there are lots of (useless) windmills, and they are visually overpowering and just plain UGLY.

Build five nuke plants and have a better energy source. Wind farms are definitely "for the birds"."

So you want to prohibit private companies and individuals from putting wind generators on private properties, because you feel that they're "ugly?"

Only my neighbors from the east and west coasts (mostly New York and California) want to ban wind generators from our private place and our other neighbors places--lots that are off of the power grid and at high elevations. Our more normal, healthy neighbors are fine with them. The same neighbors want to prevent anyone but themselves (the self-assigned arbiters of nature and judges of appearances) from building anything (including homes) on their own private properties. Those unkempt, sloppy looking, old hags complain endlessly about things that the rest of us own and do. They go on and on about how we're blocking "cottontail migration routes" with new outbuildings. They haven't yet noticed the snowshoe hare, because they only visit the area enough to try to control the properties of others through local government (which gets appropriate laughs from our Republican commissioners so far). They shriek at us in public meetings and threaten to sue us all.

And if you want to see a nuclear energy plant, buy enough acreage to put it on and build it yourself. I won't foot the bill for one on my place, just because you think it's prettier. But I'm surprised that you would want to see a nuclear energy plant anywhere near your place, given your attitude about other people's wind generators.

[Realism]

It's supposed to be disguised as a tree.

LOL, never seen that attempted, thats got to be a sight to see.